Manifesto hasn't promised quota in private sector: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress today said it has not promised reservation in private sector in its manifesto for the coming Lok Sabha elections but has only pitched for a consensus on affirmative action on the issue.

"There is no question of reservation in private sector jobs.. there has been misunderstanding. Affirmative action and reservation are two different things. We are saying that there has to be a consensus among political parties on the affirmative action in private sector," party spokesperson Sanjay Jha told reporters here in reply to a question on media reports on the issue.

Amid demands that job reservation be extended to the private sector, the party manifesto released yesterday had only committed itself to creating a national consensus on affirmative action in this regard.

As a section of the media went highlighted that Congress promised reservation, Union Minister Jairam Ramesh had yesterday also dismissed it.

"The word reservation does not figure in the manifesto. I think this is the typical disinformation spread through the media," he said.

"What we have talked about is affirmative action for weaker section--particularly Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Affirmative action means preferencive policies for procurement, it means special incentives for education," the Congress leader had said.

He said a decision on whether reservations of the types that exist in public sector or in the government is to be extended to the private sector can be taken only after a debate, discussions and a consensus.